Rubin Bhairava Mask
Object or Group Name
Case Summary
The masks are effigies of Shiva—one of Hinduism’s most important deities—and were used in the Indra Jātrā festival, which takes place in Nepal every year. After they were stolen, they were trafficked to Hong Kong. Sotheby’s New York later put them up for auction, before they were finally accessioned by the Rubin Museum of Art and Dallas Museum of Art.
In September 2022, a Nepalese heritage researcher who goes by the handle "Lost Art of Nepal" identified the Rubin mask as stolen from the Hatho Dyo Nakchhen(MI) Pradham family of Guthi Dolakha. The museum initiated research into the history of the object, with assistance from the Consulate General of Nepal in New York.
In March 2023, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office supplied the Rubin with further evidence confirming that the mask was indeed one of those stolen from the family whose predecessors had made the pair. Both masks were handed back to Nepalese officials in December 2023. A month later, the Rubin announced it was closing its doors due to financial troubles.
See Also
Number of Objects
Object Type
Auction House
Date of auction: 1996
Receiving Country
Sources
The Rubin Announces Collection Updates: A Circa 16th-Century Mask of Bhairava is Returned to Nepal
https://rubinmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/snippetimages/Bhairava_Press_Release_120423.pdf
16th-Century Mask of Bhairava, other works returned to Nepal
https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/16th-century-mask-of-bhairava-other-works-returned-to-nepal
D.A. Bragg Announces Return of Four Antiquities to the People of Nepal
https://manhattanda.org/d-a-bragg-announces-return-of-four-antiquities-to-the-people-of-nepal/
Antiquities worth $1m, including a piece tied to trafficker Subhash Kapoor, returned to Nepal
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/12/05/antiquities-worth-1m-including-piece-tied-to-trafficker-subhash-kapoor-returned-to-nepal
Lost Art of Nepal on X
https://twitter.com/LostArtsofNepal/status/1570619740149944321?lang=en